SF Giants will feel like they're looking in a mirror as they face Baltimore Orioles

It seems like the SF Giants are finally starting to pick up steam after stumbling out of the gate They're coming off their second series win of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies and did it in convincing fashion, holding the Phillies scoreless through their last 20 innings. The offense looked revamped, and the players expected to lead the charge are finally coming around — better late than never.

After an up-and-down seven-game homestand, the Giants will now embark on their first big roap trip of the year, starting Friday afternoon in Baltimore. They’ll face the Orioles three times before heading to Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. for two more three-game series. Their first opponent, the Orioles, have had a rough start to the season similar to the San Francisco's, highlighted by underwhelming offensive production and a recent promising surge.

Both SF Giants and Orioles are still searching for answers

Baltimore finished last season with a below-average offense that still showed some pop, belting the 11th-most home runs in the league with 191. Yet, despite bolstering their roster with the additions of sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward to the starting lineup, the Orioles' bats have remained relatively quiet so far this season.

They enter Friday’s series opener with offensive numbers eerily close to the Giants’. Both teams have been a tad above average in terms of hits collected, with the Giants amassing 99 and the Orioles 95. However, two lineups featuring a ton of power have had issues hitting the ball over the fence, as San Francisco ranks dead last in home runs with five, followed closely by Baltimore's eight.

The key difference has been that the Orioles have managed to get on base more frequently and still hit the ball harder than the Giants, which isn't really a major feat since San Francisco ranks near the bottom in slugging percentage (.335). Baltimore has drawn 19 more walks than the Giants over the first 13 games of the season, which is a significant amount. Just see it as 19 more base runners or 19 additional opportunities to tack on a run. It's also worth noting that the Giants' 29 drawn walks are the fewest in the big-leagues.

Both clubs coming in with momentum

The Giants needed signs of life, especially on offense, and the series win over a playoff-caliber team in Philadelphia provided plenty of them. The top of the order has finally come alive. The quartet of Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Luis Arraez and Rafael Devers knocked in 12 of the Giants' 15 runs and collected a total of 20 hits over the three-game series, including nine extra-base hits — they totaled just 35 hits over their first 10 games of the season. After scuffling a bit in the series-opener, the pitching staff responded by tossing back-to-back shutouts (something they hadn't done at home since 2018), spearheaded by starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle.

But if we're talking about pitching, few teams have been more lethal than Baltimore over the last three games — actually, just one: the Texas Rangers. The Orioles' pitching staff surrendered just 17 hits during its sweep of the White Sox and owns the second-lowest ERA in baseball over that stretch at 1.67. Nearly a third of the batters they faced were retired via strikeout (30 of 110).

And while Pete Alonso — whom they signed to a five-year, $155 million contract — is slashing just .188/.264/.292 with one home run through his first 12 games, Gunnar Henderson and Taylor Ward have done their best to offset that lack of production. The pair has driven in 17 of the Orioles' 44 runs and Henderson has already gone deep four times.

Landen Roupp will get the ball first in this series, followed by Logan Webb on Saturday and Adrian Houser on Sunday. For the Orioles, it'll be newly acquired Shane Baz today, former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt on Saturday and lefty Cade Povic to close out the series.

The Giants now enter a softer stretch of their schedule after starting the season out with a gauntlet. They'll be on the road for nine games before returning home to face the Dodgers later this month. A successful road trip would be a big step in the right direction for this team and help them put that unexpected false start behind them. It all starts today at Camden Yards.